Warning to visitors over parking at beauty spots

1 July 2020

A WARNING has been issued that if significant problems around illegal parking, mass gatherings and littering in the Mournes area are not addressed, they will have a major impact on local tourism.

Concerns around parking at the Bloody Bridge area outside Newcastle, entrances to Tollymore and Castlewellan forest parks and tonnes of litter discarded at key areas including Murlough beach, were discussed at a virtual meeting on Monday.

Organised by Newry, Mourne and Down Council, participants included key stakeholders and senior representatives from the local authority’s partner agencies and organisations that can take action and support the development of a plan to tackle the issues as coronavirus lockdown measures ease further.

Council officials said the exceptionally good weather at the end of May, combined with the first-stage of lockdown restrictions being eased, resulted in people enjoying the outdoor environment, leading to a huge influx of visitors to the district.

Monday’s meeting was told that while many of the visitors were responsible and considerate in their actions, there were others who were not.

Reference was made to many incidents and reports of cars parked illegally at beauty spots, rural roads left impassable due to traffic jams, hordes of people gathering in coastal towns and villages and what were described as “shocking levels of litter” scattered across some scenic and protected environments.

While the local authority insists that it welcomes the gradual easing of restrictions led by the Northern Ireland Executive’s phased recovery plan, it said scenes of overcrowding at the district’s beaches, towns and beauty spots has been concerning for residents, tourism businesses and councillors.

Further meetings will be held over the coming weeks with partner agencies to address the critical issues immediately and to put in place a plan that can deliver sustainable solutions to these problems in the longer-term.

Council chairwoman Laura Devlin described the problems experienced over the past six weeks as restrictions have been eased as “very concerning”.

She also warned that if left unchecked, they could result in damage to the environment, communities and the local authority’s reputation as a tourism destination.

Cllr Devlin said the local authority welcomes the support that residents, the emergency services, and businesses have shown in trying to deal with some of these challenges on the ground.

But she says it’s now acknowledged that there must be a planned approach put in place to safeguard important tourism assets and ensure the district is protected and preserved for the benefit of all when it fully re-emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The problems we are facing require a combined and sustained response from council, statutory agencies, transport-bodies, environmental and heritage groups, tourism businesses, land-owners and from civic society,” said the chairwoman.

“Each and every person that spends time at our beauty spots or in our protected environments, also has an important role in acting responsibly and being considerate to other visitors and local residents.”

Cllr Devlin said that with the support and buy-in of the local authority’s key partners from across the various sectors she hoped that sustainable solutions can be established to address the challenges of protecting the environment, communities and the district’s tourism reputation.

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